attractmode

I’ve been testing RetroPie / EmulationStation / HyperPie / AttractMode custom images for months my favorite with the best interface has to be hands down HyperPie. It could be a little laggy and time consuming finding the right ROM/Game you want. However the different mods from running ROMs via USB, Creating a favorites list and the customizations available are endless.

First i’m going to start with all of the products that I used in my RetroPi/Raspberry Pi build.

CanaKit Raspberry Pi 3 Kit with Clear Case and 2.5A Power Supply

This kit is great because it comes with the 2.5A power supply which is good for overclocking, it also includes the Raspberry Pi 3 B model, heatsinks and the case which I haven’t used. I always switch it for a fan powered case. $49.99 (Purchase)

Sliced 9 Layers Case Box + Cooling Fan +micro

Next I start off with 9 layer fan powered case which will keep your Raspberry Pi / RetroPie cool when you eventually overclock your device and it looks cool too! $10.97 (Purchase)

SanDisk Ultra 128GB microSDXC

Next you want to make sure you have a good MicroSD card. I would stay away from buying these 2nd hand and do not buy them from eBay. I’ve purchased several from there and they were absolute garbage in the end caused me more money and headaches. Also if you are using HyperPie I would stick with the 128GB version or 200GB version depending on what type of ROMs you are adding the HyperPie image itself takes about 60GB. 128GB $39.99 (Purchase)

Nintendo Wii U Pro Controller – Black

I’ve tested almost every controller for the RetroPie and I always went back to using the Wii U Pro controller. I tried controllers from Xbox, PS3, 8bitDo, etc. The Wii U Pro controller just feels right. I’ve left the controller hooked up to the RetroPie for a full day I came back and it was still responsive. It’s a lot more expensive then most controllers but it’s worth. Also beware of fake knock-off brands. $39.99 (Purchase)

High-Speed HDMI Cable – 3 Feet

If you do not have an HDMI cable laying around you are going to need one. Any HDMI cable will do just make sure it’s long enough for your TV. $6.99 (Purchase)

I’m not sure if this differs from other custom images but I’ve used the following setup/tutorial on Project HyperPie.

HUGE Thanks to Forrest aka “Eazy Hax” for developing this tool. We have added it run directly from the pi. Go grab his retropie toolkit, lots of good stuff in there and give his video a like, a comment and dont forget to subscribe.

Step 1. VERY IMPORTANT: You must make sure your RetroPie/HyperPie/Bartop Arcade/EmulationStation is connected to the internet via Wifi or direct ethernet cable. If you are not connected this will not work. (It downloads a file to your RetroPie before running the script).

Step 2. VERY IMPORTANT: Use a PC to format your USB drive, whether it is a HDD or just a USB stick, to NTFS. It will not work as any other File System format. (Most HDD’s are already formatted to NTFS).

Step 3. Create a folder in the root of your USB drive called “piroms.”

Step 4. Plug the USB drive into your pi and turn it on, or reboot it.

Step 5. Go to emulationstation by either quitting AttractMode and typing “emulationstation” in the command line (without the “”) or by the attract mode menu choosing to boot to emulationstation.

Step 6. Go to the RetroPie menu inside EmulationStation and scroll to “HDD expansion” and press this option.

Step 7. When it is done you can unplug your USB drive and plug it back into your PC to add your ROMs to the newly created system folders within “piroms/roms/“.

Step 8. Once you are done transferring plug the USB drive into your Pi and reboot or turn back on.

Step 9. Congratulations, your Expanded Rom Storage is now complete. Your roms are now available to play directly from your drive. no other configuration is needed.
**Note** If you ever wish to use a different drive, you must use the option to remove the HDD from the Retropie Menu. Then start the process over again. The script only allows for one (specific) drive to be connected at a time.